1 Month Birthday

1 Month Birthday

Cameron's 1 month birthday has come and gone. Here are a few pictures from his first month on Earth.

A Gift from an Angel

As my wife, JoAnn, and I returned home after hours of labor and days in the hospital with our newborn child Cameron, we saw a box on our front porch step. It was addressed to JoAnn Rossi. I picked the box up and placed it on the table as if it were just another gift from our baby Cameron’s registry. While JoAnn and I sat and watched our precious baby boy sleep, we thought that it was a good time to see what was inside of the box. With my keys, I ripped the tape that sealed the box and opened it, flap by cardboard flap.Inside, there was another box, neatly wrapped in “Babies R Us” wrapping paper. Like a child at Christmas, I thrashed open the present. To our surprise, it was a complete Medela breast pump set. Now this set was on our original registry, but it is retailed at $279.99. We registered for it, but did not expect anyone to buy it for us. But here it was. What a gift!

The next rational step was to see who bought this great gift for us. As we searched, we came across the name Donna McDermott. “Do we know a…..Donna McDermott,” I asked my wife.She was just as confused as I was. My wife and I are both teachers in Mesquite, so we started going down the list of people that we work with or may have worked with in the past, but found no clues. Finally, JoAnn’s mother, who is helping us in our first week with our baby, picked up the receipt that came with the present and began to read the inscription that Donna had written. It said, “We love you dearly, and rejoice at the beginning of a beautiful new life with Leo! Signed, The McDermotts.” Since our baby’s name is Cameron, it became clear that the Medela gift was not made for us.

As we tried to recover from the slight disappointment that had just overcome both of us, we knew what we had to do. We found Donna’s address on the receipt and looked up her number on the internet. My mother-in-law picked up the phone called her. She informed Mrs. McDermott of the mishap. Mrs. McDermott told my mother-in-law that she intended to purchase the item for a girl named Joan Rossi. Joan was Donna’s son’s piano teacher for many years. Since the names were so close, Donna accidentally bought the gift for the wrong person. Or did she? After a day had passed, Donna called us back. She spoke with my mother-in-law for a few moments and then asked to speak with JoAnn. It was one of those conversations that can only be described as overwhelming. Instead of returning the gift, Donna told JoAnn that she felt that the gift was not mistakenly sent to her at all and that she wanted us to keep the gift!

Keep in mind that prior to this, neither my wife nor myself had ever spoken to Donna. Yet Donna decided, that God guided her hand to send that gift to us. And she believed too much in the will of God to have it sent back. So she unselfishly let us keep the breast pump.

Now for the part that even Donna doesn’t know. Our son Cameron was born 2 weeks early. Eight weeks before his birth, my wife and I began to notice a slight decrease in the size of her stomach. Alarmed, we went to our midwife to ask questions. After which, we were promptly sent to have a sonogram. The sonogram showed abnormalities in our unborn baby’s heart. After this, we were sent to a heart specialist. The heart specialist suggested something that sent a shock of horror through both of us. She said that our baby may have a chromosomal defect, which may cause him die just a few weeks after his birth date. We then went for an Amniocentesis, which, after 10 days of waiting, showed us that there was no chromosomal defect. Through all of this, we never lost our faith in God and his will. We continued to trust in him, as well as the hundreds of others who prayed for us day and night. On April 17^th at 2:41 a.m., with a mob of 3^rd level NICU doctors in attendance, God gave us our little miracle. Cameron Michael Rossi was born, healthy. An unhealthy placenta and an unusually thin umbilical chord caused our little boy to develop a little more slowly than most babies. Cameron was born small, but is growing by the day, and thank God, he is healthy!

I only say the last part of this story because, through all of this, God pulled us through. He constantly sent us support, prayers, and love.Because of Cameron, his struggles, and his healthy birth (which can only be described as a Godly miracle), many more have grown stronger in their faith, became closer to their own children, and have come to value their own life even more. Because he did so much for others, even before the day of this birth, God sent Cameron a little gift. And more importantly, God sent Cameron an angel by the name of Donna McDermott.

Cameron Sun Bathing

A Gift from an Angel

As my wife, JoAnn, and I returned home after hours of labor and days in the hospital with our newborn child Cameron, we saw a box on our front porch step. It was addressed to JoAnn Rossi. I picked the box up and placed it on the table as if it were just another gift from our baby Cameron’s registry. While JoAnn and I sat and watched our precious baby boy sleep, we thought that it was a good time to see what was inside of the box. With my keys, I ripped the tape that sealed the box and opened the it, flap by cardboard flap. Inside, there was another box, neatly wrapped in “Babies R Us” wrapping paper. Like a child at Christmas, I thrashed open the present. To our surprise, it was a complete Medela breast pump set. Now this set was on our original registry, but it is retailed at $279.99. We registered for it, but did not expect anyone to buy it for us. But here it was. What a gift!

The next rational step was to see who bought this great gift for us. As we searched, we came across the name Donna McDermott. “Do we know a…..Donna McDermott,” I asked my wife. She was just as confused as I was. My wife and I are both teachers in Mesquite, so we started going down the list of people that we work with or may have worked with in the past, but found no clues. Finally, JoAnn’s mother, who is helping us in our first week with our baby, picked up the receipt that came with the present and began to read the inscription that Donna had written. It said, “We love you dearly, and rejoice at the beginning of a beautiful new life with Leo! Signed, The McDermotts.” Since our baby’s name is Cameron, it became clear that the Medela gift was not made for us.

As we tried to recover from the slight disappointment that had just overcome both of us, we knew what we had to do. We found Donna’s address on the receipt and looked up her number on the internet. My mother-in-law picked up the phone called her. She informed Mrs. McDermott of the mishap. Mrs. McDermott told my mother-in-law that she intended to purchase the item for a girl named Joan Rossi. Joan was Donna’s son’s piano teacher for many years. Since the names were so close, Donna accidentally bought the gift for the wrong person. Or did she? After a day had passed, Donna called us back. She spoke with my mother-in-law for a few moments and then asked to speak with JoAnn. It was one of those conversations that can only be described as overwhelming. Instead of returning the gift, Donna told JoAnn that she felt that the gift was not mistakenly sent to her at all and that she wanted us to keep the gift!

Keep in mind that prior to this, neither my wife nor myself had ever spoken to Donna. Yet Donna decided, that God guided her hand to send that gift to us. And she believed too much in the will of God to have it sent back. So she unselfishly let us keep the breast pump.

Now for the part that even Donna doesn’t know. Our son Cameron was born 2 weeks early. Eight weeks before his birth, my wife and I began to notice a slight decrease in the size of her stomach. Alarmed, we went to our midwife to ask questions. After which, we were promptly sent to have a sonogram. The sonogram showed abnormalities in our unborn baby’s heart. After this, we were sent to a heart specialist. The heart specialist suggested something that sent a shock of horror through both of us. She said that our baby may have a chromosomal defect, which may cause him die just a few weeks after his birth date. We then went for an Amniocentesis, which, after 10 days of waiting, showed us that there was no chromosomal defect. Through all of this, we never lost our faith in God and his will. We continued to trust in him, as well as the hundreds of others who prayed for us day and night. On April 17^th at 2:41 a.m., with a mob of 3^rd level NICU doctors in attendance, God gave us our little miracle. Cameron Michael Rossi was born, healthy. An unhealthy placenta and an unusually thin umbilical chord caused our little boy to develop a little more slowly than most babies. Cameron was born small, but is growing by the day, and thank God, he is healthy!

I only say the last part of this story because, through all of this, God pulled us through. He constantly sent us support, prayers, and love. Because of Cameron, his struggles, and healthy his healthy birth (which can only be described as a Godly miracle), many more have grown stronger in their faith, became closer to their own children, and have come to value their own life even more. Because he did so much for others, even before the day of this birth, God sent Cameron a little gift. And more importantly, God sent Cameron an angel by the name of Donna McDermott.

New Pictures!!

Sweet Parents!!

Such a cute FAMILY!!!

How sweet is this face?!?!

SO CUTE!!!

The cardiologist came and looked at baby Cameron today. She said he is doing great and will be able to be all boy and run and jump and get into everything!!! Thank you so much for all the prayers ... THEY WORKED!! JoAnn and Michael and Cameron will be going home on Monday!

Very soon the Rossi family will be updating the blog with pictures and stories of their new life of 3! (Oh wait 4... I forgot Sammy!)

SO CUTE!

Here is the first picture I have of Baby Cam!!

JoAnn, Michael, and Cameron are at Baylor Hospital.

The address there is 3500 Gaston Ave, Dallas, TX

They are in room 723 in the Truitt Building.

I did want to let you all know that between 1:00 - 3:00 the hospital staff really appreciates no visitors and encourages time for the family to rest. Thank you so much for the continued prayers! Connie and Ray are going to get some sleep and then she is going to send me more pictures to upload! So check back later tonight.